Dissolution Enhancement of Poorly Soluble Drugs

Many drugs, both in development and already available in the market, have the problem of being only poorly soluble in aqueous media. This can lead to poor bioavailability and frequently results in variable dissolution rates. Using Dow Functional Polymers can greatly increase the rate at which these poorly soluble drugs dissolve. The Functional Polymers effectively avoid the lattice energy of the drug crystal, the main barrier to rapid dissolution in aqueous media, and does not require grinding the drug to ultrafine particles (such as the NanoCrystal^® technology) or the addition of oils or surfactants. This technology is also applicable to drug substances which are heat sensitive and are present as oils. This technique is applicable to ionisable drugs, including cationic, anionic and amphoteric actives.

A well known example of this particular problem is Indomethacin.

Products Guidelines:

Drugs with cationic functionality (e.g. -COOH or Na / K salts)
DUOLITE™ AP143

Drugs with anionic functionality (-NH2, HCl salts etc.)
AMBERLITE™ IRP69, AMBERLITE™ IRP64, AMBERLITE™ IRP88

References:

• Irwin, W. J, R. MacHale, and P. J. Watts (1990).
  Drug-delivery by ion exchange. Part VII: Release of acidic drugs from anionic exchange resinate complexes. Drug. Dev. Ind. Pharm. 16(6):883-898.
• GB Patent 1358001
  Pharmaceutical compositions
  Henriette Pellegrin
  Jun. 26, 1974